What plans does CCHQ now have for the candidates' list and candidate selection? The short answer is that we do not yet know, and more to the point, nor do any of the 1,000 or so people who were on the candidates' list prior to the general election.

Those who unsuccessfully contested seats at the election received a letter of commiseration and thanks from the former Party Chairman, Eric Pickles, and a follow-up message from Alistair Burt, who had been in the Whips' Office and was responsible for liaising with candidates.

But those who did not get selected for a seat have not heard a peep from CCHQ or the Candidates' Department since the election and even those who fought seats have had no communication about their status going forward. Some to whom I have spoken have actively (and successfully) sought meetings with the Candidates Department, whilst others have had debriefing sessions with area campaign directors. But more than that, there has been a wall of silence about what will happen now.

Before considering the candidate selection process, it should be borne in mind that, assuming the relevant legislation passes, the next general election will not take place until 2015; we will not know the electoral system under which it will be fought until after a referendum; but that whether it is conducted under First Past The Post or Alternative Vote, the plan is for the number of constituencies to be reduced by about 10% (ie around 65 MPs). This is going to require a comprehensive boundary review which I gather would not be expected to report for two years (and even that's far quicker than usual), all of which means that it will not be until the second half of 2012 at the earliest (and more likely 2013) before candidates can start to be selected for the next general election.

But how many seats can be expected to be up for grabs for new candidates anyway? The number of Conservative MPs standing down is likely to be relatively low, given the disproportionately large number of retirements prior to the 2010 general election. But the reduction in the size of the Commons could well pit sitting MPs against each other for the "best" seats after the boundary changes as few, if any, existing seats will be left intact by the Boundary Commission. This in turn may mean some other sitting MPs potentially having to shift to less (electorally) attractive seats. As a result, the number of available, winnable seats on the notional Conservative target list will be considerably smaller than at recent elections. This all leads me to predict that after one of the historically largest new intakes of Conservative MPs at this general election, the next election will most likely see one of of the smallest.

But for the time being, mystery surrounds what will happen next in terms of candidates and I am getting mixed messages from a variety of sources as to what may occur and when.

Clearly much rests in the hands of the new party co-chairmen, Baroness Warsi and Andrew Feldman, who are in discussion with a variety of figures before the relevant decisions are made.

Here are some of the questions which they will need to answer:

How will the performance of existing candidates be evaluated?

Will the existing candidates' list remain as it is for the moment (save those voluntarily seeking to remove themselves from it) with those thousand or so people continuing to pay their £80 a year to the Candidates' Association? Will the list be selectively culled? Or will the existing list be torn up and everyone be expected to re-apply?

Will a new Party Deputy Chairman (Candidates) be appointed and what will be the role of the Board's Candidates Committee?

How will the candidates' list be updated in the mean time and, in terms of diversifying the pool of candidates, what moves will the party make to widen the base in terms of socio-economic background and take account of the considerable costs of being a candidate?

Baroness Warsi has already indicated a dislike for quotas based on gender or ethnicity, so will such quotas play no role in the future selection of candidates?

What will be the procedure for selections when they happen? Will selections for new seats currently represented in part by more than one sitting MP be contested by those individuals alone or be open contests? Will new seats represented in whole or in part by just one sitting MP automatically be contested by that person or will they be open to a challenge? What will be the criteria for deciding where to hold an open primary?

One usually reliable source tells me that all will become clear about many of these matters "sooner rather than later"; however, a well-placed CCHQ insider tells me that patience will be required as these decisions will need to be handled sensitively and carefully, and that no announcements are imminent. Watch this space...

11.30am update:

At 10.06am this morning, the following email went out to unsuccessful candidates at the general election from Baroness Warsi:

Dear Colleague,

Thank you again for all your hard work during the General Election campaign.

Though unsuccessful in your own campaign, your efforts contributed to an overall result we can all be proud of. Gaining nearly 100 extra MPs, winning more seats than any election since 1931 and becoming the party of Government once again are certainly reasons to be proud.

Putting yourself forward to fight a campaign requires making huge sacrifices. Balancing many competing priorities including family, friends and work life is never easy, but doing so while maintaining a spirited campaign is something for which we are truly grateful.

Though the next election is a long way off, now is the time to look back at the last campaign, at what we did well and what we could have done better. We would therefore like to hear your own experience and the lessons you learned during your campaign so that we can improve how we do things in the future.

I would be delighted if you could therefore join George Osborne, Stephen Gilbert and I for a thank you reception and campaign debrief from 12.30pm – 4pm on Wednesday 14th July at a central London venue. Full venue details will be confirmed nearer the time.

My friend, the Labour MP Tom Harris, has today opined on a subject about which I have been meaning to post something for some time: whether it should matter if candidates seeking selection for a seat (and indeed seeking election to Parliament if they are selected) have long-standing local links to that constituency.

Tom Harris thinks not:

"You come across this nonsense a lot: only someone who has lived in a constituency all his life is deemed suitable as its MP. All other qualifications – political beliefs, ability to string a sentence together, personal honesty, track record of commitment to the party – are of less importance than the shining, glorious Holy Grail of having a politically correct postcode.

"Certainly, if the choice is between two candidates who are broadly equal in terms of ability and experience, then the local person (if there is one) would have an understandable advantage. But it’s hardly the most important qualification. And when a local candidate is roundly beaten in a fair and open democratic vote, then local members obviously agree."

I agree with him.

On the margins, there is probably a small premium in a candidate having had long-term links with a constituency, as they will know more people there to start with and may already have a record of local service to the community to their name. This is true of a considerable number of the likely new intake at the forthcoming general election. That said, it should not be forgotten that it may mean them having local "baggage" as well.

However, any selectorate or electorate should surely be first and foremost seeking to choose the person who they feel can best represent them, empathise with them and understand their local needs - regardless of their own geographical origins.

Yesterday's selection at which I presided in Suffolk Coastal was a case in point. Therese Coffey wowed the audience by demonstrating that she shared their political hopes and concerns, despite having been brought up in an urban area in the North West of England and latterly lived in rural Hampshire.

We would have a very different list of PPCs if the most local candidate had won every single selection - and I would contest that the party would probably be worse off for it.

Where was Margaret Thatcher's local seat when she was looking to enter politics in the 1950s? Certainly not the constituency for which she was selected and subsequently represented in Parliament for over three decades. "Finchley was not an area of London that I knew particularly well," wrote Baroness Thatcher in her memoirs about her search for a seat in advance of the 1959 general election.

Would those Tories who decry "non-local" candidates on comments threads on ConHome suggest that Mrs Thatcher should have waited however many years or decades for her home town of Grantham to be seeking a Tory candidate and then opted against seeking selection elsewhere if she had not been successful? I trust not.

The Lib Dems are probably the party most obsessed by having local candidates - partly because they cannot get many of their number elected on the basis of national policies.

But to join in a battle of "who's got the most local candidate?" cannot be healthy for politics in the long term.

ConservativeHome can reveal the procedure under which shortlists of candidates will be drawn up for the seats where sitting MPs have announced their retirement since January 1st - and it will not involve the controversial Deputy Chairman responsible for Candidates, John Maples.

Mr Maples staggered party the party at the beginning of the week by announcing his own retirement ten days after the so-called "by-election rules" kicked in - meaning that his own local association in Stratford-on-Avon will not be able to choose a shortlist of candidates to interview; rather, a list of names will be given to the association by CCHQ.

And the procedure by which those names will be drawn up will be as follows:

Those on the candidates' list wanting to express their interest in a seat should do so in an email to Gareth Fox of the Candidates' Department, who will administer the process;

Party Chairman Eric Pickles will conduct an initial sift;

There will then be a meeting at which Eric Pickles, Patrick McLoughlin, the Opposition Chief Whip, and Jeremy Middleton, representing the voluntary party as chairman of the National Conservative Convention, will draw up the final shortlist for the association - no-one else will be involved in the process.

Speaking to ConservativeHome, Eric Pickles signalled that he is determined that names are matched as best as is possible with appropriate constituencies. He said:

"I intend to ensure that this system is as fair and as straightforward as I can make it. You will not see the same names in every seat."

He also indicated that as far as discussions with unselected candidates go, he now regards himself as in purdah.

Tim wrote back in October that he wanted to see the shortlists drawn up by Eric Pickles, and not John Maples. From the grassroots' point of view, it is also reassuring to see Jeremy Middleton involved in the process.

The only other seat apart from Stratford-on-Avon where we know that this new process will apply is Surrey East, where Peter Ainsworth announced his retirement a few days after the rules changed.

As has been clear for a while now, any sitting Conservative MP who announces their intention to stand down on or after January 1st 2010 will leave their association only able to choose from a centrally-imposed shortlist of three or four when it comes to selecting a new candidate.

That was why, two and a half weeks ago, I emailed this letter to the 166 Tory MPs who have not announced that they are standing down, reminding them of this fact and seeking confirmation of their intentions.

My first question was as follows: "Have you been re-adopted to stand at the general election and is it your intention to be a candidate at the general election?"

I also asked: "Do you undertake to make a final decision about whether to seek re-election before Christmas, i.e. not to announce your retirement - save an unforeseen health problem - at such a time that would restrict the rights of your members in choosing a successor?"

Of those who responded to my email, very few answered the second question, on the grounds that it was hypothetical because they intend standing. But those who did answer "Yes" to that question are marked with an asterisk in the lists below.

Below are the responses I have received so far. I will update the lists as and when further MPs get back to me - and to encourage them to do so, tomorrow I will be emailing those who have yet to respond.

At his press conference yesterday, I asked David Cameron whether he would advise Conservative MPs to announce before Christmas whether they intended standing down or not - on the basis that those announcing after January 1st 2010 will see shortlists imposed on their constituency Conservative association.

Alas Mr Cameron simply said: "It's up to individuals to decide when to make the announcement".

Previously, party chairman Eric Pickles told ConservativeHome that he did want his colleagues to "make their minds up before Christmas in order that associations get 'the widest possible choice they can'."

I agree - and today am sending the following letter to the 166 Conservative MPs who have not announced that they are standing down, in order to seek undertakings that if they are going to go, that they will announce their intentions before Christmas and ensure that their associations do not have to select under the restrictive by-election rules...

Dear Member of Parliament,

You will be aware that David Cameron has said that where a sitting Conservative MP announces his or her intention to stand down at the general election after January 1st 2010, the so-called 'by-election rules" will come into play for selecting a successor.

In other words, the usual application process will be ditched and CCHQ will simply give a list of only three or four names to an association from which to select a new candidate.

This is in contrast to the current standard process whereby elected local association officers get to choose who makes the shortlist.

As of today, 33 of your colleagues have already stated they will not be seeking re-election as a Conservative candidate at the general election, which is now a matter of a few months away.

Given the restricted freedom that associations will have over the selection process in seats where Members announce their retirement in the New Year, I believe it would be respectful to those hard-working activists for Members to make their intentions clear before Christmas as to whether or not they intend to seek re-election.

All those that do announce their retirements before Christmas will allow their associations the maximum choice of candidates allowed under the current rules; those who wait until after Christmas will leave their members by-passed and given a centrally-imposed shortlist from which to select a new candidate.

So I am writing to you today to ask you the following:

Have you been re-adopted to stand at the general election and is it your intention to be a candidate at the general election?

Do you undertake to make a final decision about whether to seek re-election before Christmas, i.e. not to announce your retirement - save an unforeseen health problem - at such a time that would restrict the rights of your members in choosing a successor?

I am publishing this letter on ConservativeHome, where I will also be collating and publishing your answers to the above questions.

Stanley Johnson is a former Conservative MEP who contested Teigbridge at the 2005 general election and is father of London Mayor, Boris Johnson. His memoir, Stanley I Presume, was recently published by Fourth Estate/Harper Collins.

The other day my daughter Rachel, the newly-appointed editor of The Lady (she says she always wanted a title), bumped into Michael Howard at a party.

My daughter, loyally, bridled at this. “What democratic country regards age as a barrier to election?”

“Ours does” Michael said brusquely. “I’m 68 and I’m stepping down.”

I have a lot of respect for Michael Howard. I fought the Devon seat of Teignbridge at the last election in May 2005 when Michael was our leader. I thought he had a clear and convincing programme: easy for senior citizens to grasp. Taller policemen, lower taxes... that kind of thing. Yet, according to Rachel, Michael sounded pretty "ageist".

My wife, of course, agrees totally with Michael. She is convinced that the only reason I am still throwing my hat in the ring as a candidate is that I can’t face the idea of going shopping in Tesco which is what elderly couples often seem to do. It is true that I hate shopping, but that is not the whole story. I know it is not fashionable to say so nowadays in the light of ExpensesGate etc but for as long as I can remember I have regarded being an MP in the Mother of Parliaments as a supremely honourable calling. When I was ten-years old and still at Prep School I wrote a letter to Winston Churchill congratulating him on his election victory (October 1951) and still have the reply I received from 10 Downing Street!

The reaction from readers to the news that David Cameron is planning on using all-women shortlists for selections coming up in the New Year was almost universally hostile.

I have just written this piece for Comment is Free on the Guardian website summarising my feelings on the issue.

But I do wonder whether there will be a backlash from the grassroots - clearly hostile to the all-women shortlists - which will actually result in fewer women being selected in the seats choosing candidates in the coming weeks.

If members think that before too long only women will be getting onto shortlists, is there not a danger that they might (consciously or subconsciously) overlook them in favour of male candidates while male candidates are still in the running?

Not surprisingly, the atmosphere on the Conservative back benches is somewhat febrile since David Cameron stated his intention to consider implementing all women shortlists for candidate selection.

I just would like to state that this isn't really news. It has always been David's intention to consider anything which would make Parliament more representative of the people for whom it legislates. No Conservative leader has ever attempted to unite equality with meritocracy and increase the number of women selected as Conservative candidates to the extent David has.

From Women2Win, a candidates department and staff committed to assisting associations with guidance in selection, to the A-List, he has jumped through hoops in a few short years to do everything he possibly can.

The latest initiative has taken the party through a squeaky clean wash cycle of open primaries for key vacancies, of which six constituencies out of seven selected men. When once it was the Conservative associations who were blamed for selecting a certain type of candidate, who do we blame for this? The open primary voting audience is made up of members of the public of all political parties or none, of all genders and backgrounds. We are giving the public, for goodness sake every single woman in the neighbourhood, a chance to do it for themselves, only they aren't.

As only 30% of applications to become an MP are from women, and that’s after all the hype and window dressing, we have to ask the question, what do women really want? Because it’s becoming pretty obvious that 70% of them don't want to be an MP.

We are all agreed that politics is in crisis. The public are disenchanted with all parties. Apathy is at an all time high and as they say in any relationship “indifference is the killer”.

In my view the fact that parliament is still largely comprised of white middle class men who look and sound the same is a significant part of the problem. Parliament needs to be significantly modernised and reformed. Having pledged to fix our economy, our society and our politics, it falls to us to lead the way on this. Part of that involves ensuring plenty of female MP’s in the next parliament.

The reality of day-to-day life in Britain in 2009 is that 70% of women work, making up half of the national workforce. Those same women are at the heart of British families as opinion formers and consumers. The harnessing of the energy and goodwill of these women will be vital to implement the policies necessary to repair a broken Britain.

Yet at present only 30% of our Candidates’ list is women. We clearly need to encourage more women to consider a career in politics. The public is entitled to ask itself why we select such a low proportion of women and telling them it is because there is a low number on the list only begs more questions. We must do something to break that vicious circle. Until the far-reaching change needed in politics has come the least we can do is improve the chances for the 30% of women who are on our candidates’ list so that our party becomes more representative of the country it seeks to govern.

Dave’s proposal would not be needed if so many Associations weren’t so resistant to change. They like having the type of (white, male) candidates they are used to. It may not be conscious but it feels familiar and safe. If that isn’t the case - if it didn’t require audacious intervention by David Cameron - how come Priti Patel took so many years to find a winnable seat, or Jane Ellison or Andrea Leadsom or the many other brilliant women candidates selected since Dave became Leader?

Today
we publish the final in a series of five articles aimed at budding candidates from Heather White, the
professional relationship expert and networker extraordinaire who
founded Smarter Networking
(whose website also includes more free networking advice).

This
is the final instalment in my series regarding successful networking
for new approved candidates, and considers how you can make the most of the party conference as a successful networking opportunity.

Everyone knows that this Conference season is the most important, given the looming General Election. It is also likely that you are fairly confident about going as you have more than likely been before. However, if you just generally wing it and hang out with your usual crowd, then perhaps this year is the time to actually get a decent plan in place to make sure you network like crazy and make the most of your time.

If you actually stop to think about how many people - and organisations - are planning to be at Conference this year, it could be a bit overwhelming. A successful Conference is not about meeting as many people as possible but meeting as many of the right people AND making a good impression.

Why are you actually at Conference and who do you want to meet? Is this a chance to improve your contacts, recruit supporters or raise money? And who are the individuals that you need to reach? Could any of your existing contacts help or is there an organisation that may help create an introduction? As a candidate, is there an issue you really want to be raising with someone or a key journalist you want to meet?

The first thing to do now is to prepare a list of all those people that you already know. Make contact with them and arrange a coffee, lunch or drink in the bar. Is there anything you can do to help them, do they have a fringe event you could help support? Think about what they are doing now, have they moved jobs recently? Are they connected to other people who may be good for you to meet?

Today
we publish the fourth in a series of five articles aimed at budding candidates from Heather White, the
professional relationship expert and networker extraordinaire who
founded Smarter Networking
(whose website also includes more free networking advice).

This
is the fourth instalment in my series regarding successful networking
for new approved candidates, and considers how you can gain an upper hand on rival candidates in selections and elections alike.

Before thinking about your possible competitors, think first about you. Ask yourself these questions and be brutally honest with yourself. What do you stand for? Think not just about party policies but your actual values and opinions. It’s all very well being able to recite the party line on crime or defence issues but you need to be able to display real conviction in your opinions. It is a hard act to keep up all day every day so pick the issues you want to campaign on carefully as you will need to be able to hold your position in the face of the fiercest opposition, particularly a rival candidate.

How effective is your brand? Are you positioning yourself as a family person, a caring person, an outspoken critic, a ruthless leader or a mixed bag of personalities that means something to everyone? It is crucial you think about what you want to be known for and that you project it whenever you meet people. People don’t necessarily vote for politicians they identify with, sometimes it is more about who they respect and who they believe will stand up for them rather than someone who has had a similar background to themselves.

Think about all the faults or skeletons you may have and prepare how you would respond if questioned on them. It could be a failed company, a divorce or a change of political views. You need to be realistic that anything from the past could emerge and if handled well, it may be that your rival’s trump card turns out to be nothing more than a damp squib.

What is your expertise? What are you particularly good at? Are you a strong orator or more of a listener? How can you structure your campaign to bring out your best qualities and what training could help to tackle the weaknesses? Ask those closest to you to identify things you maybe don’t want to tell yourself. If there are weaker areas that are harder to tackle then who can work with you to create the whole person and have a campaign team that reflects all that your audience will want to see?

Today
we publish the third in a series of five articles aimed at budding candidates from Heather White, the
professional relationship expert and networker extraordinaire who
founded Smarter Networking
(whose website also includes more free networking advice).

This
is the third instalment in my series regarding successful networking
for new approved candidates, and considers how you should go about getting to know a constituency.

This means a lot more than glad-handing some dignitaries and endless photo opportunities. Given the recent expenses scandal, voter trust in MPs is at a real low, and voters are now starting to turn against MPs who do not appear to be working hard for their constituency. If you wish to be nominated as a candidate, and hopefully get selected in the polls, you need to prove that you’re much more than a snout in the trough.

For instance, a number of people are putting their names forward to fight a seat in the next general election as an independent – a protest vote against the main three parties and the expenses culture that many of the electorate assumes exists in Westminster. Remaining credible and electable means not underestimating the importance of being seen as a force for good in the constituency. An MP who looks after the interests of his or her voters is always valued regardless of political persuasion.

OK, so where do you start? Ideally you’ll have an interest in or existing link with the constituency you wish to represent. However, even if you think you know an area, you may not necessarily have the same ideas of what is important or not as the voters have. So ask yourself these questions before you even start:

In a post on WalesHome.org, Conservative Welsh Assembly Member for Cardiff North Jonathan Morgan has called for positive discrimination in favour of women candidates at the next Welsh Assembly election.

"There is no doubt that our party has a poor record in its selection of women candidates. The Assembly group has been under-represented for far too long. In the elections in 2007, our current group was just 90 votes away from being an all male club. For a party that champions equality and wants to prove that it is in touch with the modern world, this is unacceptable. My party, at its grass roots, is dominated by active, enthusiastic and politically astute female members but, for whatever reason, not enough seek selection as candidates and few are adopted.

"While attitudes are slowly changing, there are still antediluvian tendencies within local associations and frankly the party simply cannot afford to wait for a Noachian conversion. We need to change the rules to ensure more female candidates are selected in first place.

"My personal preference as an initial move forward is for the first available slot on each regional list be offered to a female candidate. While there maybe some party members who will view this as a step too far, I feel we can no longer pursue a programme of positive affirmation just to increase the pool of would-be female candidates. We need to get them selected."

Needless to say, I beg to differ with such a proposal - as, I imagine, would most ConservativeHome readers.

Today
we publish the second in a series of five articles aimed at budding candidates from Heather White, the
professional relationship expert and networker extraordinaire who
founded Smarter Networking
(whose website also includes more free networking advice).

This is the second instalment in my series regarding successful networking for new prospective parliamentary candidates, and probably the most important of them all. Indeed, you can plan and prepare until the cows come home but it is the impression that you make on the people that matter which will leave a lasting impression. It is important that you hit the ground running and appear personable, trustworthy, friendly and someone who gets things done.

Doing the leg-work

As mentioned last week, devising a strategy in advance of going out and meeting new people is worthwhile if you are keen to track your progress and ensure that you meet all of your ‘targets’. This may seem slightly mechanical, but in the world of politics – especially to those only just involving themselves in it – contacts and effective networking are the vital qualities the successful people in this field possess.

Once you have a plan in place, and events to attend, try and find out who will be at each event and prioritise to the single event you plan on going to that day. Don’t think about the future, just relax and look forward to your immediate engagement. Look at who will be attending and try to realistically limit the amount of people you wish to speak to – other than those you already know – to four or five. These needn’t be the most influential or important people at the event, but as long as their association is useful to you then they’re most definitely worth it.

Once you have an idea of your ‘top five’, try and dig a little deeper and ask yourself these questions:

Today we publish the first in a series of five articles by Heather White, the professional relationship expert and networker extraordinaire who founded Smarter Networking (whose website also includes more free networking advice). She has tailored this series for budding candidates - although much of the advice will be relevant to anyone in the political sphere. Today she considers how you should develop and execute a networking strategy; next Wednesday she will give advice about how to make a good impression with the people that matter.

The recent expenses scandal and the proposed departures of many MPs, has left many people considering whether to step into the political ring. For some, this is a completely new area and for others it is something that has been dabbled with over time. Moving further than just a toe in the water is not as simple as turning up at your local association though, it requires some serious planning.

While there are obstacles to overcome such as getting CVs together and Parliamentary Assessment Boards (PABs), there is a much wider plan that needs to be instigated if this is a serious career option.

As the founder of Smarter Networking, a company that helps people improve their networking skills, you would expect me to promote the value of building and maintaining good contacts. However it is not just about getting more friends on Facebook or increasing the entries in your phonebook – quality not quantity is the key here.

Ensuring that you are a successful and effective communicator is absolutely crucial when meeting people and determining how they can help influence your future career. It is not just about what you say or how you project yourself but finding out what you need to know and assessing how you are being viewed.

So in the first of my series in improving your networking skills, I am covering how to approach developing and executing a networking strategy.

Politics is one of the most obvious ‘who you know not what you know’ environments out there. It is important, because of the sheer number of people involved in political life from party members, constituents, donors and the upper echelons of the party itself (especially as you get to the dizzy heights of actually being an MP), that you prioritise when you first start out. Knowing who may help and hinder is as important as knowing what to say or what not to say.

Jeremy Middleton is chairman of the National Conservative Convention and responds here to concerns that new candidate selection procedures represent an unprecedented centralisation of power.

Last week you reported the agreement by the Board to new selection guidelines for the rest of this Parliament. The article, together with the comments, suggests a power grab by CCHQ and the imposition of candidates on Associations: a ‘slam dunk’ for the centralisers of power and one in the eye for localism! I don’t think this is what has happened and would like to offer some balance to your readers.

These are exceptional times leading to exceptional pressures on candidate selection. Under normal circumstances all our candidates could, and should, have been selected by now. However, the saga of MPs' expenses and David Cameron’s subsequent decision to re-open the Candidates' List means that this has not happened.

There are already 15 Conservative held seats that need to be selected as soon as possible and we can expect more – perhaps up to 30 in total. Clearly these need to be selected as soon as possible and certainly by the end of the year.

However, at the same time the Candidates' Department are under intense pressure, having to run a parliamentary assessment board nearly every week in order to give the thousands of new applicants both a reasonable prospect of joining the Candidates' List and to ensure that they meet the same standards required of everybody who is already on the list. The Board agreed to increase resources to the Candidates' Department but even so, some curtailment to the standard selection procedure was necessary if all these selections are to be completed by the end of the year.

I was alerted earlier this week to the fact that the Party Board had taken some decisions about that most controversial of issues: candidate selection. Here is an excerpt of the summary of the Board meeting of July 20th distributed to members of the National Conservative Convention by its chairman, Jeremy Middleton:

Intrigued as to what changes have been agreed, I have been making enquiries, culminating in a conversation with party chairman, Eric Pickles, yesterday and have established that since the Board met on July 20th, the candidates' committee has also met and Board members have since participated in a conference call where the following measures appear to have been agreed:

The Party Board has met in the last 48 hours to approve new rules on candidate selection.

CCHQ will have the power to impose candidates on non-target seats after "consultation". These powers can only be used when a General Election is "imminent" but they have been rushed through in anticipation of an increasingly likely autumn poll.

My CCHQ sources tell me that the imposed candidates will not necessarily be A-listers.

Seats that are currently held by the Conservatives or are marginal will follow the procedures that are used in by-elections. A Special General Meeting will adopt a candidate within 48 hours of a General Election being called. These procedures would apply in, for example, Croydon Central - following Andrew Pelling's suspension - and Henley - which Boris Johnson is under pressure to vacate because of his certain adoption as the Tories' Mayoral candidate.

Fourteen target seats have yet to select but some - notably in Scotland and including Chester and Eastleigh - are already due to select imminently.